BJP-Congress Spar Over Kota Hospital Tragedy

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress traded charges over the Kota hospital tragedy in which more than 100 infants lost their lives. The Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over the past few days has made a series of comments such as—there were fewer deaths in the hospital under the Congress as compared to the BJP tenure and that many hospitals all over the country witnessed such incidents—which were seen as insensitive.

The Rajasthan health minister who was lambasted for not having visited the JK Lon Hospital for several days, criticised the BJP saying that the party was playing politics over the deaths of infants and termed this, unfortunate. Such a tragedy should not be used to further political ends, he said.

The state health minister further said that he had put out statistics to point out that there were fewer deaths of infants under the Congress as compared to BJP.

National general secretary of the BJP and Rajya Sabha member, GVL Narsimha Rao slammed the statements of Ashok Gehlot and Rajasthan health Minister and described them as insensitive.

Union Minister Smriti Irani also flayed the state government for its apathy. She said that the Ashok Gehlot government must fix responsibility. Irani termed the statement of the chief minister as inhuman. It reflects the callous attitude of the Congress government, she added. "Ask a mother who lost her infant in this tragedy whether such a statement acts as a balm or rubs salt into her wounds," she concluded.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, who is also the Kota MP, visited the hospital. He observed said that the conditions in the JK Lon Hospital at Kota were very bad. The LS Speaker added that he was willing to extend all help to the state government if it sought additional funds or means to upgrade and improve the Kota hospital.